Disastrous Twins
by maple2839
Summary: SENRU. What if Sendoh and Rukawa have kids, a pair of naughty twins to be more specific? Will they be able to handle them? All chapters RE-EDITED! I'm currently working on Chapter 6.
1. Chap 1: A Father's Job

I was inspired to write this after reading a Gravitation fanfic where Eiri has to take care of his sons. I recommend "Double Trouble Terrible 2's" by TaraYuki-Uesugi to all Gravitation fans. My fic might have a little similarity to hers. I hope that's alright.

Okay, in this fic, Sendoh and Rukawa have two kids. Twins actually, Eiji (older by 10 minutes) and Kenji. They are a product of mpreg but it won't be mentioned inside the fic. They look like Rukawa physically but have Sendoh's personalities. Sendoh is a businessman and Rukawa is a basketball coach.

Eiji and Kenji are 3 years old in this chapter. They grow a year older with every chapter.

Summary: Rukawa has to take care of his twins all by himself while Sendoh is at work.

Disclaimer: Isn't it obvious that I don't own Slam Dunk? But I own the twins though.

-Start-

**Chapter 1: A Father's Job**

"Kitsuneeeeee!"

Rukawa growled when he heard that. He buried his head deeper into the pillow, trying to tune out the screaming. He was hoping his bedmate could stop the screaming.

"Wake up, kitsune!"

'Okay, breathe. You don't want to get angry at him,' Rukawa told himself. He glanced at the clock. It's just 7.11 a.m. Then, he turned to his left. His husband was nowhere to be seen.

'I forgot, Akira has meeting today,' he slapped his forehead. Slowly and sleepily, he got out of bed. He walked towards the crib only to find one of his sons screaming while the other one is still asleep despite the noise.

"Kitsuuuuu… hehe…" the young boy that Rukawa was glaring at, broke into a smile. He held out his small hands, asking Rukawa to carry him.

"Stop calling me that, Kenji. It's 'father'," Rukawa said, carrying him in his arms.

"Morning, kitsune!" Kenji cheered. His raven hair was in a mess but his blue eyes were filled with happiness… and did he see a glint of mischievousness for a second there?

Rukawa sighed in defeat. 'Remember to make them stay away from Sakuragi.' He turned to look at the other boy. Eiji was still in deep sleep, thankfully. Rukawa cannot handle them both together. It's just too much. He then carried Kenji into the bathroom.

"Okay, stay," Rukawa commanded as he placed Kenji on the stool. Then, he took one big toothbrush for himself and a smaller one for Kenji.

"That one!" Kenji said, pointing at the other big toothbrush still in the cupboard.

"No, that belongs to papa," Rukawa said.

"Papa?"

"Yes, this is yours," Rukawa showed him the small toothbrush.

"I want papa's!"

"No."

"Waaaaaaa!"

Rukawa quickly shut his mouth by covering his hands over it. Then, he strained his ears to listen for any sound coming from the bedroom.

'Good. Eiji is not awake yet,' he sighed.

"Okay, okay. Fine," Rukawa gave up and put back the small toothbrush in the cupboard. "Here," he passed him Sendoh's toothbrush.

Happy with it, Kenji shoved the toothpaste with the 'Kodomo Lion' mark into Rukawa's hand. Rukawa took it from him while muttering something under his breath.

"Okay, brush your teeth," he said, after putting the toothpaste on the toothbrush.

Kenji happily brushed his teeth with Sendoh's toothbrush. Rukawa took his own toothpaste and brushed his teeth. He smiled as he saw Kenji mimicking him. Suddenly, Kenji swallowed the toothpaste.

"Kenji, you cannot eat the toothpaste!" Rukawa tried to take the toothbrush out of his mouth.

"Nooooo!" Kenji started screaming.

Then, from the bedroom, another scream was heard, "Waaaaaaa!"

'Great. Just great,' Rukawa thought.

It seems that Eiji is awake.

"Waaaaaaaaaaa!" Eiji's scream became louder.

"Stay," he told Kenji before rinsing and going out of the bathroom to pick Eiji up.

As soon as Eiji saw his father, he stopped crying. "Mornin', kitsune," he smiled Sendoh's smile.

"It's 'father', Eiji."

Eiji held out his hands, asking Rukawa to carry him just like the other twin. Rukawa carried him into the bathroom only to see the toothpaste scribbled all over the floor and wall. He glared at the accused one. Kenji only smiled innocently, hiding the toothpaste behind his back.

'Memo to myself. Buy toothpaste and no more Kodomo Lion! I don't care what Akira says. It's too sweet and the boys only thought of it as snacks.'

Rukawa remembered once when Kenji and Eiji tried to eat the toothpaste when they're hungry. He had a hard time telling them that toothpaste is not food.

He placed Eiji on another stool. Rukawa then salvage some toothpaste from the wall for Eiji and put it on the small toothbrush.

"That one!" Eiji pointed at his toothbrush.

"No, that's mine." Oops, wrong move, Rukawa.

"Waaaaaa!"

"Okay, okay. Stop screaming," Rukawa said in defeat and passed the younger one his toothbrush.

'What's wrong with both of you?'

Eiji started brushing his teeth happily. Then, Rukawa took out two cups from the cupboard. He opened the tap and let the water filled the cups.

"Okay, Kenji. Follow me," Rukawa said as he rinse and spit.

Instead of doing that, Kenji drank the whole cup.

"Kenji!"

Kenji laughed as he pressed the remaining toothpaste on Eiji. Eiji retorted by throwing Rukawa's toothbrush on his brother's head.

"No, Eiji. Stop, Kenji!" Rukawa said, desperately. Now, the two are covered in toothpaste.

'It doesn't matter, they need a bath anyway,' Rukawa thought. 'Ugh, I have to mop the floor as well.'

He taught Eiji how to rinse and spit but Eiji only drank the water like his twin. Luckily, the tap water is safe to drink. They, he stripped both of them and placed them in the tub.

"Wait. Toys!" Kenji climbed out of the tub and ran into the playroom. Eiji followed suit.

Rukawa only waited patiently for the two naked babies to run back. To his horror, they brought the whole toy box with them.

"Okay, rule no. 187: No toys while bathing!" Rukawa said. The twins stared at each other then at Rukawa.

'Damn it, they're doing it again,' Rukawa cursed. The twins put on their best puppy dog eyes.

"Only one and I mean it."

The twins smiled and took their favourite toy (Gamera for Eiji and Godzilla for Kenji) into the bathtub that Rukawa already filled with warm water earlier when they went digging for their toys. After rubbing, massaging (Eiji loves this part) and rinsing them with clean water, Rukawa let them play in the tub while he cleaned up the mess that Kenji made with the toothpaste. Suddenly he heard a soft growl. He looked at the twins and Kenji blushed.

"You're hungry?" he asked Kenji. Kenji nodded.

"Me too!" Eiji said.

"Okay, I'll make you breakfast. Come, let me dry you up," Rukawa said, covering them with two towels.

After dressing them up, he too changed into a new set of clothes since Kenji and Eiji splashed water everywhere which means Rukawa has to clean the toilet again. He carried both of them into the kitchen and placed them on the chairs.

"What do you want to eat today?" Rukawa asked.

"Kitsune covered in sugar and cream!" Eiji exclaimed.

Rukawa almost fell, if not for the table that he was leaning on. 'How in the world did he know that?'

"No, you can't eat that," Rukawa said, trying to hide his blush.

"Only papa can!" Kenji said.

"That's right… wait… wait a minute!" Rukawa was getting redder. 'It's all Akira's fault! I'll make sure he gets it when he comes back.'

"You know what, I'll take out some cereals. Then you can choose from there, okay?" Rukawa asked.

The twins nodded. Rukawa opened the top cupboard to reveal 7 boxes of cereal, all different kinds.

'What the hell? Did he have to buy so many?'

"Monday!" the boys said in unison.

Rukawa studied the boxes for a while and realized there was the day's name written on it. He took the one which was labeled "Monday". Then, he looked for their bowls.

'Where did Akira put them?'

"Down!" Kenji directed.

'Great! I'm getting instructions from a three year old. He even knows the kitchen better than me,' and Rukawa looked at the bottom drawer. There, he found their bowls. He poured the cereals into the bowls and went to search for milk. Only one was left.

'I gotta go shopping later,' he thought as he poured the remaining milk into the bowl of cereals equally. He remembered the two fighting because he accidentally poured more milk into Eiji's bowl last time, by 1mm! Then, he placed the bowls in front of the twins.

"Go on, eat."

The two shook their head.

'Oh, crap! Do I really need to do this?'

"Okay, boys. Open wide," Rukawa said, holding two spoons and feeding them simultaneously.

The twins ate their breakfast happily with Rukawa taking a few bites from their food. Finally, the twins were done eating. Rukawa led them to the living room to watch television.

"Both of you, stay here," he said while grabbing the remote control. He turned on the television and looked for the kids' channel. After several attempts, Kenji took or more like grabbed the remote from his father and pressed the right number. The twins stared at Rukawa with the 'duh' look.

'Okay, focus Kaede. I can do this.'

He let the twins watched the television quietly while he tried to get some work done. Being a coach, he had to take care of his players' profile. Plus, he had to sign the team up for the incoming IH competition. He sat in the dining table where he can watch the boys. The twins were now singing some crappy kids' music and Rukawa was glad they didn't cause any trouble. However, after several minutes…

'Why is it so quiet now?' Rukawa looked up from his file and noticed both of them gone.

"Kenji! Eiji!" Rukawa called out. Then, he heard tearing and paper crumpling sounds coming from the office. "Oh, shit! Akira's documents!" he quickly ran into the office. Confirming his suspicious, Eiji and Kenji had Sendoh's whole documents torn into pieces. The twins were throwing the pieces up like confetti.

'Akira's going to kill me. I hope he saves it in his computer.'

Just then, Kenji decided to wreck the computer. He was slamming his hands on the keyboard, pretending to be a rock band drummer.

"Kenji, don't do that or papa will be…" before Rukawa could continue, he saw a puddle around Eiji, "Eiji!"

"Sorry, kitsune," Eiji smiled.

'Where is my damn aspirin bottle when I need it?'

"Call me 'father', Eiji. 'Fa-ther'!"

But Eiji wasn't listening to him. He ran around the office, leaving footprints here and there. Rukawa grabbed him by the waist, while trying to stop Kenji from hitting the keyboard at the same time. Being a father is hard work, especially when you have a pair of destructive twins.

"Kenji, can you please go watch TV while I bring your brother to the bathroom?" Rukawa asked nicely. If threat doesn't work, being polite is the last resort.

Kenji stared at Rukawa for a while before retreating to the living room.

'Now, what does he have in mind?' Rukawa wondered.

"Kitsune," Eiji pulled on his sleeve.

"Eiji, 'father'. How many times do I have to tell you that? Come on, let me get you clean up," he carried Eiji into the toilet.

As he was helping Eiji to change into a pair of clean pants, he heard the phone ring.

"Kenji, can you please pick up the phone? It might be papa!" Rukawa shouted from the toilet.

"Hello. Sendoh-Rukawa residence," Kenji said perfectly and somehow maturely.

'Wow! I didn't know he can do that.'

"Who's that, Kenji?" Rukawa asked while trying to hold the squirming Eiji in place.

"Do aho!" was the answer.

"What the? Oi, kitsune! Did you train them to call me that?" Sakuragi asked angrily through the phone.

"Shut up, Sakuragi! They pick it up on their own," Rukawa said after finally done with cleaning Eiji.

Now, Eiji and Kenji were playing kickboxing.

"I'm coming now to… what's that sound?"

It seems that Eiji had turned on the TV and put the volume to maximum.

"Kenji!"

"Not my fault, kitsune!" Kenji pointed at Eiji.

"Whoever's fault it is, lower down the volume. I'm talking to Uncle Sakuragi!" Rukawa shouted, trying to surpass the TV sound.

"NO!" Eiji grabbed the remote control and ran off.

"Hold on, Sakuragi," Rukawa said and left the phone.

"What!" Sakuragi was blur.

Rukawa turned off the TV. "Go look for your brother," he told Kenji. Kenji nodded and skipped happily into the bedroom.

"What were you trying to say again?" Rukawa was back on the phone.

"I'm surprised you haven't killed them yet."

"I'm hanging up."

"Hey, it was just a joke! Anyway, I'm coming to give the twins new clothes that I bought from Kyushu."

"Okay."

And Rukawa hang up. He desperately needs those aspirins now. But something was not right. It's so quiet… too quiet. He walked into the bedroom, where Eiji had ran into earlier with the remote.

"Rukawa Eiji and Sendoh Kenji!" Rukawa shouted, only to find the twins not in the room.

'Where could they be? And where did all this laundry come from?' Rukawa thought. The room was covered in a mixture of both dirty and clean clothes. Then, Rukawa noticed a small movement beneath the laundries.

"Oh no, I wonder where they are," Rukawa said out loud, slowing inching closer to the pile of clothes. He heard soft giggles from it.

"Gotcha!" Rukawa grabbed Eiji and Kenji's hand.

The twins laughed as Rukawa tickled them.

"Kitsune… stop!" Eiji tried to stop him by pushing his hands away.

"Look at the mess you two made. Where are we going to sleep tonight?" Rukawa asked, finally stopping.

"Hotel!" Kenji exclaimed.

'Okay, our bed talk has got to stop before they pick up anymore nasty stuff from Akira's mouth,' Rukawa thought.

"No! Come out now, Uncle Sakuragi is coming," Rukawa pulled them out of the bedroom. He decided to let Sendoh clean it as a punishment.

Then, the doorbell rang. The twins ran towards the door to greet their beloved uncle.

"Kenji, Eiji! It's so nice to see you again!" Sakuragi gave each of them a hug.

"Nice to see you again!" Kenji repeated every single word Sakuragi said perfectly then added with his own, "Do aho!"

"Kenji!" Rukawa scolded him.

The twins laughed and ran on the couch. They jumped up and down excitedly.

"I see you must be cursing me a lot these few days," Sakuragi said.

"They picked up everything I said. Worse, what Akira said!"

"What did Sendoh said?"

"I'm gonna *beep* and *beep* until you *beep*!" was the answer Sakuragi got from the twins.

Sakuragi burst out laughing while Rukawa blushed in embarrassment.

"Kenji, you're not supposed to say that!" Rukawa reprimand him.

"Oh, I get it!" Sakuragi continued laughing.

"Shut up, do aho!" Rukawa glared at him.

"Shut up, do aho!" the twins glared at Sakuragi too.

"It's scary how much they look like you," Sakuragi said. "Okay, boys. Come here, I've got something for you!"

The twins skipped towards Sakuragi and pounced on him.

"Kenji! Eiji!" Rukawa carried them off of Sakuragi.

"Ouch! They sure are strong," Sakuragi rubbed his back.

"Remember rule no. 75: No pouncing on people," Rukawa told the boys. The boys nodded but Rukawa doubt they were listening.

Sakuragi took out a few shirts and pants from the plastic bag. "This is for Kenji and this is for Eiji," Sakuragi handed them the new set of clothes.

"Sakuragi, you shouldn't have bought so many," Rukawa said.

"I couldn't help it. I am their Godfather after all," Sakuragi said. "What are you two supposed to say to me?" he asked the twins.

"Rule no. 11: Must say 'thank you' when receiving things," Eiji and Kenji said in a sing-song way. "Thank you, do aho!"

Rukawa only chuckled at that as he watched the twins run into the bedroom.

"I'm going to skin them alive if they still call me that when they're older," Sakuragi said through gritted teeth.

"Thanks, Sakuragi," Rukawa said softly.

"It's no problem. You changed a lot, you know."

"I guess so," Rukawa looked at the twins who were trying out their new outfit and displaying it.

"How do I look?" Kenji asked.

"Sexy and delicious!" Eiji exclaimed.

Rukawa slapped his forehead again while Sakuragi laughed out loud. After a while playing with the kids, Sakuragi left. Rukawa noticed the twins weren't as active as they were in the morning.

"What's wrong?" Rukawa asked.

Both of them hold their stomachs, "Hungry."

Rukawa looked at the time. It's four in the evening already. He forgot to feed them lunch!

"Okay, I'll cook ramen for you," Rukawa said as he led the boys to the kitchen.

'What a lousy father I am,' he thought.

After feeding them, the twins became energetic again which means more headaches for Rukawa.

'Akira, please come home soon,' he prayed.

As if on cue, the phone rang. Before Rukawa could pick it up, the twins were fighting over it.

"Me!" Eiji grabbed the phone.

"Me!" Kenji snatched it from him.

"Me!" Rukawa said sternly while taking the phone away from Kenji. "Hello, Sendoh-Rukawa residence."

"I see you guys are having fun," the voice on the other side said, chuckling.

"Akira. Thank goodness! Are you coming home now?" Rukawa asked.

"Uh... Actually I called to tell you I'll be late."

Rukawa dropped the phone.

"Kaede?"

"Oh, sorry," Rukawa immediately pick it up before any of the twins could snatch it. "Anyway, they want to talk to you."

"Papa!" the twins shared the phone.

"Hey, sweetie. How's your day?"

"Got new shirt from do aho!"

"Really? Can't wait to see it. Have you 2 been good boys?"

"Good boys!" the twins said.

"Okay, pass me back to your father, please," and the twins did.

"So, what time will you be back?" Rukawa asked.

"Around 11. I gotta go now. See you later! Love you!"

Rukawa sighed as he put down the phone. The twins are now fighting over the remote again.

'I seriously need those aspirins right now.'

* * *

"Tadaima," Sendoh called out as he entered the house. It was dark and quiet. Sendoh turned on the lights and smiled at what he saw.

The twins were sleeping on the couch with Rukawa hugging them. Sendoh walked slowly and soundlessly towards them.

"Kaede. Go sleep in the bedroom," Sendoh whispered as he shook Rukawa lightly.

"Akira, you're back," Rukawa yawned.

"Come on," Sendoh said, carrying one of the twins.

Rukawa carried the other and they went into the bedroom.

"What happened here?" Sendoh asked, looking at the mess.

'Oh, I forgot to clean it up. Which reminds me, I didn't clean up the mess in the office too.'

"The twins made it. I'll clean it up tomorrow," Rukawa said, forgetting that he should let Sendoh do it.

They put the twins in the crib beside their bed.

"Good night," Rukawa whispered as he kissed their foreheads. Sendoh too did the same.

"I love you, father, papa," the twins said softly, not opening their eyes.

Rukawa's eyes widened. Did they just call him 'father'? Rukawa smiled then turned to Sendoh. Sendoh lean in to kiss his tired husband.

"Starting from today, no more midnight bed talks."

"Huh? But why?"

-End-


	2. Chap 2: A Day At Home

So this time I decided to torture Sendoh! Some of the twins' mischief are inspired by "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody".

Summary: With Rukawa gone for the IH competition, it's up to Sendoh to take care of the twins by himself.

Disclaimer: I don't own Slam Dunk but I do own the twins!

-Start-

**Chapter 2: A Day At Home**

Sendoh was sleeping peacefully when he felt someone touching or rather pinching his face. He slowly opened his eyes and was greeted by two smaller versions of Rukawa. They didn't notice their dad was awake and continued covering his entire face with clothes' clips.

"11… 12…" he heard the boys counting as they put on more clips on his face.

"Um… boys. What are you doing?" Sendoh asked, puzzled.

"Waking you up," Eiji said simply and put another clip on Sendoh's ear. Now, Kenji is clipping Sendoh's messy and un-gelled hair.

"Can you two wake me up in a normal way?" Sendoh asked again, trying to stand the pain and itchiness on his face.

The twins stared at each other then thought for a while. Abruptly, they dropped the pins in their hands, stood up, jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. Sendoh wondered what they are up to. He began taking off the clips from his face. His face is now red with clip's mark on it.

'Ouch! What a nasty wake up call!' he said, placing the pins on the bedside table.

Just then, the twins emerged from the bathroom with a cup of water in each hand. Sendoh's eyes widened.

"Whoa! Wait a minute. What are you two planning to do?" Sendoh asked, confused.

"Waking you up in a normal way!" Kenji said, smiling while readying to pour the water on Sendoh.

'Can't you see I'm awake?' Sendoh thought, alarmed.

"Who told both of you this is the normal way?" he asked, taking the cups away from their hands before they spilled it on the bed.

"Father did!" Eiji exclaimed. "He said…" Eiji stopped to let Kenji continued the sentence.

"Just splash water on papa's face to wake him up," Kenji said in a low voice, imitating Rukawa.

'How could Kaede do that to me?'

"Okay, let me teach you another way to wake me up," Sendoh said, sitting up on the bed.

The twins sat on his lap and listened intently.

"Just shake me lightly and say 'papa, wake up'," Sendoh told them.

"That's boring!" Kenji said. Eiji nodded, agreeing with his twin.

Sendoh sighed. Why are they so difficult to teach?

"Nevermind. Just wake me up in a painless way, okay?"

The twins thought for a while then nodded and smiled. Then, they hugged Sendoh tightly around the neck. Sendoh chuckled and gave both of them a morning kiss on the cheeks.

"Have you two brushed your teeth?" Sendoh asked.

"Yes!" the boys said simultaneously. "We're hungry!"

"Okay, let me brush mine first," Sendoh got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. The room was wet and covered in toothpaste. 'Why am I not surprised? Shouldn't have let them brush teeth alone. They always make a mess,' Sendoh reminded himself. Then he noticed his toothbrush was wet.

'Kenji must be using my toothbrush again. Oh, well,' Sendoh shrugged it off and brushed his teeth with Kenji's. He doesn't know why but the twins seem to have something for big toothbrushes.

"Papa, we're hungry," Eiji and Kenji tugged on Sendoh's sleeves.

'Whoa, I didn't even hear them come in. Jeez, I gotta put bells on you guys,' Sendoh was surprised. Even after living with them so long, he's still not used to the way they just 'materialise'.

"Okay, okay. I know," Sendoh said and quickly finished brushing his teeth with Kenji's small toothbrush.

In the kitchen, Sendoh looked at the calendar. It's been two days since Rukawa brought his team to the IH competition. He had to take a week's sick leave just to stay at home and take care of the twins. Rukawa did suggest bringing them over to Sakuragi's or Ayako's but Sakuragi was busy and Ayako just simply refused to baby-sit them. It's too stressful, she said. Sendoh totally agreed with her but now he's stuck at home, being a slave to these two princes.

"Boys, when is your father coming back?" he asked.

"Five days to go," Eiji and Kenji said simultaneously while showing Sendoh their 5 little fingers.

Sendoh chuckled at that. He taught them to countdown until the day Rukawa comes back. Then, Sendoh opened the cupboard and took out the "Wednesday" cereal box. The twins shook their heads.

"What's wrong?"

"No cereal!" the twins said loudly.

"Then, what do you want to eat?" Sendoh asked.

"No cereal!" Kenji and Eiji just repeated.

"Okay, how about we go out eat?"

The twins cheered. Sendoh understand that it is boring to eat cereals everyday, even though they have different kinds everyday. So, he dressed them up nicely.

"Hold still, Eiji," he said, while putting a shirt over him. Eiji tried to struggle out of Sendoh's grasp. Finally, after a few minutes, he was done dressed. Next is Kenji's turn.

'These two just can't stay put,' Sendoh thought as he tried to dress Kenji up. Kenji was easier to dress than his brother. But it still takes time to finally finish.

'I didn't know dressing kids up would be that difficult,' he thought, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

Sendoh grabbed his car keys, "Okay, let's go." He held Kenji on his left and Eiji on his right. The two boys were so excited; they tried to run whenever Sendoh accidentally released them.

"Stay with me!" Sendoh said, grabbing their hands.

When they reached the car, both raced to the front seat.

"Me!" Eiji shouted.

"Me!" Kenji shouted and pushed Eiji aside.

"Rule no. 24: Always sit at the back seat," Sendoh said, firmly.

The twins stared at him as if he did something stupid.

"Papa, that's not rule no. 24!" Eiji said.

"Rule no. 24 is 'Always use seatbelt in the car'. Rule no. 23 is 'Always sit at the back seat," Kenji corrected him.

Sendoh was surprised and started flipping his mini "Rukawa's house rule" book that he always kept in his pocket. He scanned the book.

"You're right," Sendoh said. The twins smiled proudly. "If you two knew earlier then why do you still fight for the front seat?" he asked.

"We thought you might forget," the boys shrugged and climbed onto the back seat.

'What? Are they underestimating me? Is all Kaede's fault. What are all these rules for anyway?' Sendoh thought as he sat on the driver's seat.

The twins sang as soon as Sendoh starts the car. Sendoh too sang with them until suddenly the twins stop.

"What?" Sendoh asked, looking at them through the front mirror.

"You sing bad, papa," Kenji said, straight forwardly.

'Can't you be more subtle, Kenji?' Sendoh felt a little offended.

"Is my singing really that bad? It saved me during my high school talent audition," Sendoh said.

The twins looked not convinced.

"It's true. I did stand-up comedy at first but no one laughed. So I panicked and started to sing," Sendoh explained.

"They started laughing?" Eiji asked, amazed.

Sendoh sweatdropped.

"Okay, here we are," he said, trying to distract the boys. Sendoh had just parked in front of Uozumi's restaurant.

The twins rushed out of the car quickly and entered. Sendoh admired their enthusiastic attitude.

"Yo, Sendoh! How're you doing?" a familiar man greeted him.

"Uozumi, haven't seen you for a long time!" Sendoh hugged him.

"The twins just came in. Where is…?" before Uozumi could ask, they heard a shout from the kitchen.

"Oh no," Sendoh walked quickly into the kitchen. There, he saw broken plates and glass everywhere on the floor.

'I just let them out of my sight for two minutes and they already make a mess!'

"Sorry, papa," Eiji said softly.

Sendoh carried the two away from the broken glasses. He examined them to make sure they didn't get cut or anything.

"Are you hurt?" he asked them, worried.

"No… Sorry, papa," they whispered, almost crying.

"It's alright. I'll talk to Uncle Uozumi," Sendoh said.

Jus then, Uozumi decided to enter the place. "What in the world happened here?" he was shocked at the mess in his kitchen.

"Um… Uozumi, actually…" Sendoh started with the twins hiding behind his legs.

* * *

"Rule no. 202: Cannot enter Uncle Uozumi's kitchen," Sendoh wrote this new rule in his book.

The twins pouted as they sat on the chairs. They refused to touch the Japanese traditional breakfast on the table.

"Now what?" Sendoh asked. He just had an hour of lecture from Uozumi on how to take care of the kids properly and now they're not eating. What possibly could get worse?

Kenji and Eiji showed him the Rukawa frown, "Don't like pickles."

"Then, I'll eat the pickles and you two eat the tamagoyaki, okay?" Sendoh picked the pickles up with his chopstick and put it in his plate.

However, the twins still refused to eat.

"What is it that you don't like to eat again?" Sendoh asked. 'They are as choosy as Kaede.'

"Feed us!" the twins said, holding up their bowls.

"No, you have to learn how to eat by yourself."

Kenji exchanged glances with Eiji then… "Waaaaaaa!"

Everyone in the restaurant looked over at their table. 'Oh no,' Sendoh thought.

"Sendoh! Keep them quiet!" Uozumi's roar was heard.

"Now, boys, if you keep quiet, I'll buy pocky for you," Sendoh said calmly to the crying boys. 'God, Kaede spoilt them too much.'

Immediately, the two shut up and smiled. Then only they started eating their breakfast quietly. Sendoh sighed in relief. After breakfast, Eiji and Kenji keep bugging Sendoh to buy them pocky in case he forgot. So, they went into a convenient store. As usual, Kenji and Eiji will run around the store, looking for snacks and toys. Sendoh only need to wait at the counter. To his horror, the boys carried ten boxes of pocky to the counter.

"Do you boys really need that much?" Sendoh asked his sweet-tooth sons.

The twins nodded, smiling.

'You have to be more strict, Sendoh Akira,' he told himself. But Sendoh loved them so much, he bought all of it for them.

The twins were delighted, "You're the best, papa!"

"We're going to hide this so that your father doesn't see it, okay?" Sendoh whispered to them.

"Yay!" the twins cheered.

* * *

Finally, they reached home. Sendoh was exhausted while the twins can still run around. He wondered where they get the energeticness from. The twins immediately opened one box of pocky. In haste, they dropped the box and its contents scattered all over the floor.

"Kenji," Sendoh glared at him.

"I'm not Kenji, he is!" he pointed at his twin.

Sendoh was surprised. This is the 1st time he mistaken them. How did he usually differentiate them? 'Must be father's instinct,' he thought. Now he understands why Sakuragi and the others couldn't differentiate them. As he looked closer at them, the twins began laughing.

"Just kidding! I am Kenji!" Kenji said, laughing.

Eiji laughed with him. Together, they cleaned up the mess. Actually it was more like Eiji and Kenji ate the pocky off the floor. They were so fast; the floor was clean in a matter of seconds. The three looked for a hiding place for the rest of the pocky. They finally hid it in the office, inside Sendoh's drawer where Rukawa wouldn't open it. Sendoh then glanced at the clock. It's one p.m. now. The team's match should be starting soon.

"Boys, aren't you hungry?" Sendoh asked.

"No," they answered.

Sendoh guessed the pocky made them full. He saw the boys jumping on the couch while channel surfing. Sendoh had bought two remote controls since the twins are always fighting for it.

"Turn to channel 23. The basketball match is starting," Sendoh said. Ever since Rukawa left, they were up to date about the match schedule. Eiji and Kenji both enjoyed basketball as their parents did.

Soon, the match began and the three watched intently. Kenji would always scream, "Father!" whenever he saw his father on TV. Sendoh would explain the rules and game play once in a while. The game ended with Rukawa's team as the victor.

"Yay! Go, father!" the boys cheered.

After that, Sendoh decided to catch a small nap while the twins looked for their own entertainment. When Sendoh almost fall asleep, he felt someone tugging on him.

"Papa, play with us!" Eiji said, pulling his sleeve.

"I'm tired," Sendoh said, not bothering to open his eyes. "Go play with your toys."

"No! Papa play with us!" Kenji pulled his other sleeve.

"Okay, okay. What do you wanna play?" Sendoh asked while being pulled by them.

"Basketball!" they said simultaneously.

"It's so hot," Sendoh looked outside the window. It's summer now. "And I'm really tired. Let's play something at home," Sendoh said.

"No. Basketball!" they screamed.

"Okay, let me teach you a new game," Sendoh said, after calming them down.

The twins looked at him excitedly. Sendoh was surprised at how fast they can switch from crying babies to playful kids.

"Go get your father's file in the office."

* * *

After playing for a while, the phone rang.

"I'll get it!" Kenji said, running towards it. Unfortunately, his brother is faster than him and grabbed the cordless phone first.

"Father!" Eiji exclaimed into the phone.

On the other side, Rukawa had to pull the phone away from his ear.

"I want to talk to father!" Kenji screamed. Rukawa doesn't call back that often when he's away. So, the twins were excited to receive a phone call from him.

"Eiji? Kenji?" Rukawa called. It's difficult for him to differentiate them through the phone since they have the exact same voice.

"I'm Eiji, father!" "I'm Kenji!"

"How are you doing?" Rukawa asked.

"We miss playing with you, father! Papa is no fun!" they said together.

"What was that!" Sendoh's voice was heard in the background.

"I miss both of you too. What are you doing now?" Rukawa asked.

"We're playing 'rate the basketball player'!" they answered.

"Huh? What game is that?" Rukawa was puzzled.

"By looking at the character's profile, we rate how good they are," Kenji explained, remembering what Sendoh said earlier.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, I give a 10/10 to Brother Tatsuha! He's cute!" Eiji exclaimed.

Suddenly, Sendoh grabbed the phone from the boys. The twins protested loudly. However because of Sendoh's height, they couldn't snatch the phone back.

"Hey, Kaede. I miss you," Sendoh said.

"Did you let them play with my player's files?" Rukawa asked.

"Um… well, you see. They're bored."

"So, you decided to find them a potential husband?"

"It's just a game. They actually wanted to play basketball but it's so hot now," Sendoh explained.

"We want father!" the twins screamed in the background.

"You can try putting them to sleep."

"You know they don't take naps. I'm getting a headache here… aaaaah!"

Kenji had climbed onto the couch and jumped at Sendoh. Sendoh accidentally let go of the phone when he lost his balance as he tried to catch Kenji. Eiji meanwhile grabbed the phone before it fell on the floor.

"What's happening?" Rukawa asked, worried.

"Nothing, father!" Eiji smiled.

"Kenji, get off me," Sendoh said trying to push the younger boy aside but trying not to hurt him as well. Finally, Kenji let go of him. He ran to Eiji and they shared the phone. Sendoh decided to let them talk to Rukawa first.

The twins talked a lot. They told Rukawa about how they woke Sendoh up this morning. Rukawa chuckled at the part where Kenji described the clips' mark on Sendoh's face. Then, Eiji told him they had a new rule again. They weren't too happy about it. Kenji accidentally told Rukawa about the pocky and immediately regretted it because Rukawa started his 'brush teeth before sleep' talk. In short, they told him about everything, not missing any small detail. Finally, it was Sendoh's turn to talk.

"Kaede."

"I hear you're doing fine."

"Yeah, I've been doing it for two days. Five more should not be a problem."

"Okay, just wanna let you know. We won today, 48-51," Rukawa said.

"I know. Saw it on TV. I knew your team could do it. Kenji and Eiji were so happy when you guys won."

"Yeah, I wish I could be with them now."

"We're waiting for you to come home," Sendoh replied.

"Okay, I have to go now."

"Bye, I love you."

"Same to you. Tell the twins that for me."

And Sendoh hung up. He sighed. Now, his new job is to look for the twins. It seemed they had gone into hiding while he was talking to his husband. First, he checked the toilet. He remembered once when they were playing hide-and-seek, Eiji hid in the toilet. Sendoh pulled open the shower curtain.

'He's not here.'

Sendoh started searching the whole house. After several minutes, he gave up.

"Eiji! Kenji! You win! You can come out now!" Sendoh said.

Silence.

"Eiji! Kenji!" Sendoh called out.

Still no response.

'Oh my god, please don't let anything happen to them!' Sendoh searched the whole house again. He looked at the shoe rack.

"Their shoes are still here," he sighed in relief. This means they didn't go out. When he walked into the bedroom again, this time he could hear distinct snoring. Sendoh followed the sound and looked under the bed. There they were, sleeping soundly. Sendoh sighed in relief, 'If Kaede knew I lost them, he'll kill me!'.

"Boys, wake up," Sendoh said, while trying to reach Eiji who was closer to him.

"Hmm?" Eiji opened one eye.

"Come out. Call your brother too."

Eiji turned and hit Kenji on the head. Kenji yelped and kicked Eiji in return.

"Okay, no fighting. Come out now," Sendoh said.

The twins slowly crawled out into Sendoh's arms.

"Both of you frightened me. I don't know what I'd do if I lose you," Sendoh whispered, hugging them tightly. The twins only yawned. "Oh, your father says he love you."

"I love you too, father," Eiji said softly, still closing his eyes.

"Me too," Kenji said, sleepily.

Sendoh carried both of them and placed them on the bed. He pulled the blanket over them.

"Night," Sendoh kissed their foreheads.

"Papa," Eiji said.

"Yes?"

"I love you," the twins said together then fell asleep.

Sendoh smiled at the two sleeping boys. "I love you both too," and he too drifted into slumber land with them.

-End-


	3. Chap 3: First IH Trip

First of all, I wanna thank all my reviewers and also to those who read my fic but didn't review. Well, here's another chapter for those who want it! Thanks for all your reviews! It makes me wanna write more. I'm so glad you guys like my story. I hope you'll like this chapter as much as the previous ones.

Summary: Rukawa was forced to bring the twins to IH with him since Sendoh is on a business trip.

Disclaimer: Slam Dunk belongs to Inoue Kazuhiko… oops, I mean Inoue Takehiko. Sorry, I just love his voice so much. Oh, and Kenji and Eiji belong to me.

-Start-

**Chapter 3: First IH Trip**

"Wow! Father, come see this!" the five-year-old Eiji exclaimed. He was looking at the green sceneries outside the window.

Rukawa walked over to Eiji and pretend to share his excitement.

"This is so cool! I can see Mt. Fuji from here!" Eiji told his father animatedly. "Kenji, look!" he turned to his twin sitting beside him.

Kenji only yawned and continued reading his book, totally ignoring his brother.

"Kenji!" Eiji whined.

"Shut up! Can't you see I'm reading," Kenji retaliated, pointing at his novel titled 'Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet'. Sendoh gave him the novel on his birthday. Rukawa wondered why Kenji loves to read while the other hates book from the bottom of his heart.

Then, the two began to argue. Rukawa sighed. This is the first time the twins ever sat on a bullet train. Eiji was so excited! Kenji doesn't share his enthusiasticness though. Now, they're on their way to Hiroshima for the IH competition.

"Coach, must you bring them along?" a second year asked while trying to cover his ears. The twins tend to speak… argue very loudly.

"I have no choice, Ryu. I can't leave them alone at home," Rukawa told him.

Sendoh had gone to Hokkaido for a business trip. Until now, still no one dares to baby-sit the twins. Not even Sakuragi or Koshino, who loves them a lot, can stand being with them for an hour. Their mischievousness was known all over Kanagawa by their constant crying, whining, shouting and screaming. They just can't keep quiet.

"It's fun having them around," the captain, Soujirou, smiled.

"Captain, that's because you are used to dealing with small children," Ryu said in a louder tone so that he can hear him. The boys are getting louder by the second.

"Kenji! Eiji!" in the end, Rukawa had to shout at them, which startled the team players, and not to mention the other passengers.

There was silence… only for about three seconds.

"It's Kenji's fault!"

"You are the one who started it, idiot!" Kenji shouted back.

"Okay, keep quiet," Rukawa sat between both of them so that they don't hurt each other.

The twins not only quarreled but also physically hurt each other. The other passengers in the train are already looking at them. Eiji and Kenji are still shooting daggers at each other. From the corner of his eyes, Rukawa could see Ryu pulling something out from his bag. He sweat dropped, it's earplugs.

"If you two don't obey me, I'll just have to throw those pocky at home that you were hiding," Rukawa threatened them in a surprisingly calm voice.

The twins gasped, "You know about it?"

"Of course. Under your bed isn't the best place to hide it since I always clean your room."

The boys looked at each other, 'It's okay. We can always ask papa to buy more.'

"Don't even think of asking papa to buy more. I'm telling him how naughty you've been," Rukawa said, seeing the look on their faces.

'Oops, he read our minds.'

"Don't be so hard on them, coach. They're just kids," a first year said.

"Brother Tatsuha!" Eiji glomped on him.

"Just stay quiet, okay? Then I'll buy you pocky when we reach Hiroshima," Tatsuha smiled at Eiji. Eiji nodded obediently. He sat right beside Tatsuha and away from his twin.

Kenji continued reading his book. "Love fool," he muttered under his breath but loud enough for Eiji to hear him.

Eiji would have punched Kenji if Tatsuha wasn't holding him. Rukawa sighed and shook his head. He knew Eiji has a crush on Tatsuha and whose fault is it? Sendoh. The other team members chuckled at Tatsuha and Eiji. Finally, they reached Hiroshima much to Ryu's relief. If he hears the twins argue again, he's going to be deaf. The players carried their bags and got off the train. Before Rukawa could tell the twins to stay close to him, the twins were already long gone.

"Somebody has to nail their feet to the ground," Rukawa muttered.

After everyone is off the train, they had to wait for the bus to get them.

"Ryu, have you seen my twins?" Rukawa asked when he lost sight of them. They are really fast runners. A good sign for Point Guard, Rukawa thought.

"No, coach."

"They should be with Tatsuha. He's not here with us," Kaito, the one beside Ryu, said.

And indeed, the twins were with Tatsuha. They were asking… or more specifically pleading Tatsuha to buy them pocky at a small store. Eiji protested loudly about buying for Kenji.

"It's not fair!" he wailed.

"What's not fair? You have one and I have one," Kenji reasoned.

"It's still not fair! Brother Tatsuha promised to buy for me only!"

Rukawa came and took the pocky away from them, "You won't be eating this until you keep quiet." Then he turned at Tatsuha, "Never buy things for them. They'll take advantage of you."

"Yes, coach," Tatsuha said, a little afraid of Rukawa.

And so, the bus came and brought all of them to the hotel. Eiji and Kenji again make a ruckus in the bus.

"I want to sit near the window," Kenji said.

"But I got here first," Eiji replied.

Before another heated argument starts, Rukawa grabbed Kenji and let him sit beside him. Eiji smiled with triumph and somehow had managed to drag Tatsuha to sit with him.

"I don't want to sit here," Kenji protested.

"It's near the window," Rukawa said.

"Father, I want to sit there," Kenji pointed at Eiji's seat behind him. Eiji stuck his tongue out at him.

"Put your tongue back in or you're going to lose it," Rukawa reprimanded Eiji and turned back to Kenji. "Here is still the same."

"No."

How in the world did he end up with two sons that don't listen to him? It's so difficult to negotiate with them. How Rukawa wished Sendoh was here. At least it decreases his burden by half.

"If you sit here, I promise to buy you the scooter that you've always wanted."

"Really? Okay!" Kenji lit up. He hugged his father then sit quietly.

The players were amazed by Rukawa's way of handling kids. Tatsuha on the other hand was doing fine with Eiji since Eiji only listens to him.

Then Kenji turned behind to look at Eiji, "Father is buying me the scooter!"

'Great, he just has to say it out loud,' Rukawa slapped his own forehead.

"What? Father, I want one too!" Eiji began shouting.

Rukawa regretted making that promise. Now, the twins are arguing over the scooter. The other players only laughed in amusement as if it was some kind of variety show. Ryu already had the earplugs in his ears as soon as they board the bus. He knew the twins would start bickering at any chance. After half an hour of sound torture in the bus, they finally reached the hotel. The twins immediately raced into the building to prove who is faster.

"Eiji! Kenji!" Rukawa will be getting a sore throat if he continues shouting like this. Why can't they just stay put?

And so, they checked-in and unpacked. Half of the team wants to rest in their rooms while the other half wants to walk around. Kenji and Eiji, no doubt, are filled with energy and want to explore Hiroshima. Rukawa, even though he's tired, had no choice but to follow them. The twins are very good in causing trouble.

"I'll hold Brother Tatsuha's hand," Eiji said when Rukawa wanted to hold his hand.

Rukawa looked at Tatsuha. "It's okay, coach. I'll take care of him," Tatsuha offered.

"Thanks, Tatsuha. He only listens to you."

Rukawa hold Kenji's hand and let him lead the way. They walked around for the day since the competition only starts tomorrow. While walking, Kenji and Eiji debated over what to eat for dinner.

"Father, I want sushi!"

"I want beef pot, father!"

"No, you're not eating any of that. We're having fried rice tonight," Rukawa said, trying to shut them up.

"Father!" the two whined.

"It's either you eat or you don't eat at all," Rukawa said in an angry tone. He's getting a headache and the twins aren't helping.

The twins pouted all the way back to the hotel. Eiji and Kenji didn't say a word much to Rukawa's relief. Finally, they can keep quiet. However, the twins refused to take their bath no matter what Rukawa said… threatened actually. In the end, he let them do what they want. The boys go on strike by ignoring Rukawa. Rukawa happily ignored them too. They continued in that state until dinner. Rukawa was about to feed them when Eiji suddenly shook his head.

"What's wrong, Eiji?" he asked.

"I can eat by myself," Eiji said, picking up the chopsticks. He picked his food in a very gentle and smooth way.

Rukawa was surprised at the sudden change in Eiji. Usually, they will fight for Rukawa to feed them. Suddenly Eiji turned to his side and said happily, "Brother Tatsuha, I can feed myself!"

Rukawa sweat dropped, 'So, it's only for show off.'

Kenji still wants Rukawa to feed him because he's too busy reading to eat by himself. It seems like the silent treatment was forgotten already. After dinner, it was time to sleep. Rukawa made sure the twins brushed their teeth. Finally, after a year of constant convincing, the twins accepted that their toothbrushes are the smaller ones. Sendoh was so glad he doesn't have to buy anymore toothbrushes. The team players went into their own rooms divided into first, second and third year. Rukawa has his own room with the twins.

Eiji protested, "I want to be in the same room as Brother Tatsuha!"

"Eiji, Brother Tatsuha can't take care of you," Rukawa reasoned with him.

"Father," tears welled up in Eiji's eyes. "I don't want to sleep with Kenji," he cast a side glance at his twin.

"I don't want to sleep with you either," Kenji stuck his tongue out at him.

"No, you're sleeping with me. End of story," Rukawa carried Eiji into their room followed by Kenji.

Rukawa had to sleep in the middle to prevent the two from fighting. Kenji was at his right while Eiji's at his left. Rukawa kissed them good night then off the lights.

"I'm not sleepy, father," Eiji said.

"Just close your eyes. Good night."

"But…"

"Keep quiet, Eiji! I'm trying to sleep," Kenji scolded him.

"But I can't sleep!" and Eiji continued whining.

After one minute… soft snores were heard from his side. Rukawa check on them, the two were soundly asleep.

'They sure sleeps fast,' he sighed in relief. Finally, he can rest peacefully.

The next morning, Rukawa woke up only to find his left side empty. He turned to his right and thankfully Kenji is still sleeping soundly.

"Eiji?" he looked around the room. 'Where is he?' Rukawa started to panic. He rushed out of the room, still in his yukata, searching for the lost twin.

"Good Morning, coach," a few 2nd years passed him.

"Have any of you seen my son?" Rukawa asked them, worried written all over his face. They only shook their heads.

"Now that you mentioned it, it's so quiet this morning," Ryu stated, smiling happily.

Suddenly, they heard someone shouting.

"Eiji!" Rukawa ran towards the sound. It's coming from the first years' room. Ryu grumbled something that sounds suspiciously like "Great, my peaceful morning is ruined."

"Eiji!" Rukawa slide open the door. However, it's not Eiji who shouted. It's the person who Eiji was hugging who shouted. It's a wonder Eiji didn't wake up from the noise.

"Coach!" the 1st years were startled when they saw their coach standing at the door.

"I didn't know he was with me!" Tatsuha explained the awkward situation. Eiji had wrapped his arms around Tatsuha's waist. "I woke up and he's here!"

Rukawa sighed and untangled Eiji from Tatsuha. He sure has a tight grip.

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!" Tatsuha repeatedly apologised to Rukawa.

"Father?" Eiji opened an eye. Rukawa has him in his arms now.

"You scared me, Eiji," Rukawa kissed his forehead. Eiji yawned then fell asleep again.

Rukawa looked at Tatsuha, "I guess he's really fond of you."

Tatsuha blushed while the others began to tease him.

"Alright, get ready. After breakfast, we're leaving," Rukawa said to them.

"Yes," they replied in unison.

Rukawa carried Eiji back into his room. He placed Eiji beside Kenji and watched them for a while. He decided to let them sleep while he prepared his players. The team had breakfast, and then it was time to get ready for the tournament. Rukawa woke the twins up and let them eat in the bus.

"Hey, that's mine!" Eiji shouted.

"How am I supposed to know? You didn't write your name on it."

"The prawn was on MY plate!"

"Well, too bad because now it's in MY mouth!"

"Father!" Eiji whined.

Rukawa wondered how long he could keep this up. He looked at his players. They all seemed to be immune to Kenji and Eiji's constant quarrel except for Ryu. Ryu was trying hard to tune out their voices by increasing his Discman's volume. Rukawa didn't bother to shut the twins up. He regretted declining the offer Ryu made to him earlier - "Coach, I could lend you my earplugs."

Finally, they reached the stadium. Before the boys could walk into the stadium, Rukawa made the boys stand still in front of him. The twins only stared at him.

"Okay, now promise me, you'll be good boys throughout the game," Rukawa said.

The twins exchanged glances with each other before smiling their famous 'Sendoh smile' and nodded. Rukawa hoped they listen to him. They went into the changing room to get ready.

"Alright, everyone. Do your best on the court!" Rukawa encouraged the team. "Remember. We are…" before Rukawa could finish his sentence, two young voices shouted, "Strong!"

Rukawa couldn't help but smiled at his twins.

"Brother Tatsuha, fight!" Eiji smiled at Tatsuha.

And so the game begins. Eiji and Kenji were excited. This is the first time they saw a match live. Usually, they watched videotapes where their parents played against each other. They both sat beside Rukawa at the bench.

"They're so many people here," Kenji said, looking around.

"I can't wait to play my own game too, father!" Eiji said.

"You'll get your chance," Rukawa told them. In his mind, he's already planning their practice schedule.

As promised, the twins were good boys throughout the game. They concentrated fully on the match. Once in a while, Rukawa would explain the rules and strategies. Then, there was time out.

"You were awesome, Brother Tatsuha!" Eiji exclaimed. "Your three-pointer was beautiful!"

"Eiji, I threw in a three-pointer too. Why didn't you praise me?" Soujirou asked, pretending to be hurt.

"I'm sorry, Brother Soujirou. I didn't really see you play," Eiji said, shyly.

"Yeah, he has his eyes on Brother Tatsuha only," Kenji said.

Eiji and Tatsuha blushed. The whole team laughed at them. Then, the game resumed. After a tiring 20 minutes, they won the game. Rukawa was very proud of them. They waste no time in returning to the hotel because the players were exhausted.

"Brother Tatsuha, I'll scrub your back for you!" Eiji immediately offered when they wanted to bath.

"Uh… you don't have too, Eiji. I'll do it myself," Tatsuha politely refuse. The other team members tried to hold their laughter.

Eiji was disappointed.

"Come, Eiji. You can scrub my back," Rukawa said to him.

"Okay!" Eiji smiled.

"I'll help!" Kenji smiled too.

* * *

At night after dinner, the twins were fighting over the television.

"I want to watch TV!"

"No, it's my turn!'

"Both of you are not watching anything! We're going to study our opponents!" once again, Rukawa tried to shut them up.

The twins retaliated. Rukawa threatened not to buy them the scooter until they gave up and finally retreated to one corner to sulk.

"Are you sure they're fine, coach?" Soujirou asked, feeling the sorrowful atmosphere around the twins.

"Leave them. They'll forget about it soon. Okay, let's start."

So, the team watched their next opponent's previous matches. They studied their moves and planned tomorrow's strategy.

* * *

At Hokkaido, Sendoh had just finished his meeting with his superiors.

"Thank you so much, Sendoh. You really did help a lot."

"I'm just doing my job," Sendoh smiled. Suddenly, his cell phone rang. "You guys go ahead. I'll catch up," Sendoh said to his partners. Then, he looked at the caller ID. He smiled, it was Kaede.

"Hi, Kaede."

"PAPA!" Sendoh had to pull the phone away from his ear.

"Kenji?"

"Papa! Where are you?" he could hear Kenji crying.

"Kenji, I'm in Hokkaido. What's wrong?" Sendoh asked, worried.

"I don't want to stay here, papa! I want to be with you! Can you come and get me?" Kenji asked.

"Kenji, calm down. Tell me what happened?"

"Eiji is so mean to me! He…" and so starts Kenji's long grandmother story. Sendoh only listened patiently. "Then he wouldn't let me eat pocky! Can you buy some for me when you come back?"

Sendoh glanced at his watch. The boy had been talking for ten minutes nonstop. 'Why aren't they as quiet as Kaede?' Sendoh wondered.

"Papa, are you listening to me?" Kenji suddenly asked when Sendoh didn't response.

"Yes, go on."

"The game was great! I want to play basketball too!"

Sendoh smiled when he heard that.

"And then, father didn't let me watch the TV. I'm going to miss the last episode of Ultraman!" Kenji's tone became louder until Sendoh had to distance his ear from the phone.

And Kenji just keeps on talking. Sendoh wondered how Rukawa would react when he receives the phone bill this month.

"Kenji, I really have to go now," Sendoh said, cutting Kenji's narration about how Ultraman saved the world.

"But papa, I'm not done yet!"

"You can tell me when I get home."

"Papa, come and get me now. I can't stay any longer with Eiji!" Kenji whined.

"No, Kenji. You have to be patient."

Kenji sniffed, "I miss you, papa."

"Yes, I miss you too. I'll be home soon, okay?"

Kenji nodded.

"Kenji?" Sendoh called when the other was silent.

"I nodded my head."

"Well, I can't see head movement from here," Sendoh chuckled. "It's late right now. Why don't you go to bed?"

"Okay. Bye, papa. I love you."

"Bye, I love you too."

And Kenji hung up the phone. Sendoh sighed in relief. Now, he can't wait to go home. After a few seconds, his cell phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"Akira, did Kenji call you just now?" Kaede's voice rang through the phone.

"Yeah, he did. He's upset."

"I know. If I knew they caused this much trouble, I wouldn't have brought them here," Rukawa sighed.

Sendoh chuckled, "Just be patient, Kaede."

"By the way, we won today. 75-80."

"I know. Kenji told me just now."

"I'm so tired. Not only from the team but from the twins too. You won't believe what they did," Rukawa smiled. He loved his twins very much but sometimes he just can't stand them.

"Is that papa on the phone? I wanna talk to papa!" Eiji's cheerful voice was heard in the background.

Rukawa passed the phone to Eiji.

"Papa, I miss you so much!"

"Eiji, I miss you too."

"Do you know what Kenji did to me? He…"

'Oh no, not another grandmother story,' Sendoh sweatdropped.

"Eiji, that's enough. Go brush your teeth with Kenji," Rukawa said.

Sendoh could imagine Kenji pouting. He smiled. Then, Rukawa was back on the phone, "Those two are really hard to handle."

"Kaede, I really have to go now. Kenji kept me for too long just now," Sendoh said, after realizing what time it was.

"Alright, see you soon."

"Bye, I love you," and Sendoh hung up. He smiled when he remembered his family. "Okay, finish my work fast then I can meet them early."

* * *

After two long weeks, Rukawa and his twins are finally back in their beloved home!

"Home sweet home!" the twins shouted as soon as they entered the house.

"Welcome back!" Sendoh smiled at them.

"Papa!"

"Akira, you're back. I thought your flight is tomorrow," Rukawa was surprised.

Sendoh smiled. "I couldn't wait to see you guys," he kissed Rukawa.

"I want a kiss too!" the twins shouted and hugged his leg.

"Alright, alright," Sendoh bend down and kissed their foreheads. "I've got a surprise for both of you."

The twins looked at him happily. They just loved surprises.

"Here you go. The entire series of Ultraman and your favourite strawberry-flavoured pocky."

"Yay! Yay!" the twins cheered when they received their gifts and kissed their dad on the cheek.

"Papa, we got so many things to tell you. You know, the bullet train…" the twins started narrating the whole trip.

Sendoh chuckled when he heard Rukawa whispered, "I'm never bringing them to IH again."

-End-


	4. Chap 4: Being Sick

You know, when I first wrote this fic, I intend to write one-shot only. Now, it's already the fourth chapter. Thank you for all your reviews! You people made me continue writing. I'm forever grateful.

Summary: Kenji and Eiji are sick. Sendoh is staying at home to take care of them. Little does he know, this is the hardest job anyone could have.

Disclaimer: Inoue Takehiko owns Slam Dunk and its character. I only own Kenji and Eiji.

-Start-

**Chapter 4: Being Sick**

"Achoooooo!"

Upon hearing that, Sendoh quickly put the tissue on Kenji's nose.

"Okay, Kenji. Blow," Sendoh said.

"I don't wanna," Kenji whined, trying to push the tissue away from his nose.

"You have to get the mucus out."

"It's disgusting," the young Sendoh complained.

"But you still have to blow."

"NO!"

Then, coughing sounds were heard from the other side. Sendoh glanced at his other son who's sitting on his bed. His hands were covering his mouth as he coughed louder.

"Papa, my throat is itchy," Eiji complained, holding his throat with both of his hands. He coughed some more.

"Eiji, don't talk so much. Let me deal with Kenji first."

"Papa, I said I don't want to do it!" Kenji gave him the infamous Rukawa glare.

Sendoh swallowed the lump in his throat. His sons can be very scary if they want to. Then, Eiji started coughing again. Sendoh decided to leave Kenji for a while and moved over to Eiji. Kenji quickly threw the tissue on the floor.

"Does your throat hurt?" Sendoh asked Eiji.

Eiji nodded, "Especially when I swallow my saliva."

"You have to eat antibiotics. I'll call Uncle Koshino to buy some…"

"Achooooooooo!"

Sendoh glanced at Kenji. Mucus is running down from his nose and Kenji is rubbing his nose on his sleeve.

"Yuck!" Eiji said when he saw that.

"Kenji, I told you to blow," Sendoh said, his voice getting louder.

"I told you I DON'T WANNA!" came the angry reply.

Sendoh moved back to Kenji's bed.

"If you don't do it, you'll never get better. If you don't get better, you can't eat pocky, ice-cream, pancakes and all your favourite sweets again," Sendoh tried to coax him.

"Why not?" Kenji asked, tilting his head to his side.

"Because sick people can't eat sweet stuff," Sendoh answered calmly.

"NO! I wanna eat sweets! I don't wanna be sick!" Eiji suddenly shouted. Now, his coughing seemed to worsen.

"Eiji, please don't shout," Sendoh pleaded and moved to Eiji's bed again to rub his back slowly.

Sendoh sighed as he reminded himself not to let the twins play in the rain again. He remembered it rained heavily a few days ago. Kenji and Eiji sneaked out of the house to run in the rain. Now, the twins are stuck in their beds, not able to go anywhere. Sendoh had to take sick leave again to stay at home. He bet his boss is going to sack him. He wouldn't be surprised to see the letter when he returned to work.

"It hurts, papa," tears starting to form in Eiji's eyes. He looked terrible - his raven-black hair is in a mess, his eyes are red and he looked paler than usual.

"Okay, I'm calling Uncle Koshino now."

"Papa, this sticky slimy stuff won't stop coming out!" Kenji wailed, still rubbing his nose on his sleeve.

"I told you to blow, Kenji," Sendoh wondered how many times he said that. If you guess four times, you're right.

Eiji coughed louder. Sendoh turned to look at Eiji then back at Kenji. How can he take care of two boys at the same time? He regretted letting Rukawa work today. Rukawa wanted to stay at home with them but Sendoh insist that he can handle the boys. He thought that since the twins are sick, it would be easier to take care of them. Just let them sleep all the way after eating their medicine. He never thought they would complain that much.

"Papa, why is my forehead so hot?" Kenji asked, touching his forehead.

"Let me feel it," Sendoh said and touched their foreheads together. "Hm… you're coming down with a fever."

"I'm *cough* feeling dizzy *cough* papa," Eiji said between coughs.

Sendoh then measured Eiji's temperature, "You've got a fever too."

"Achooooo!" both the twins sneezed this time.

"Papa!" the twins shouted in their already hoarse voice.

"Both of you, please don't shout. You'll hurt your throat."

"See, the sticky slimy stuff is flowing out of MY nose," Eiji pointed at his nose.

Sendoh went into the bathroom to take some more tissue out. He placed it on Eiji's nose, "Now blow."

"NO!" Eiji screamed.

Then, it's Kenji's turn to cough. Sendoh felt his head split into half. How is he going to tend them? Now he wished he had a twin so that the other can help him take care of the boys.

"Okay, both of you listen to me. Lie down and don't get up!" Sendoh said, covering both of them with their blankets. "I'm going to call Uncle Koshino now. So please don't shout, I beg you," Sendoh was desperate.

The twins nodded. Sendoh immediately picked up the phone and dialed Koshino's cell phone number.

"Sendoh, what's up?" Koshino asked cheerfully.

"Koshino, I need your help."

"You sound desperate."

"That's because I am. I need you to go to the pharmacy and buy me some antibiotics, flu and cough syrup."

"Wow, I didn't know you can get sick too, Sendoh," Koshino sounded surprised.

"What does that supposed to mean, Koshino?" Sendoh was annoyed. "The boys are sick."

"WHAT! Why didn't you tell me earlier? I'm coming right now!" and Koshino hang up the phone.

Sendoh sweatdropped. The twins are loved by all their friends especially Sakuragi and Koshino. They practically spoilt them. After that, he went to look for towels in the cupboard. He makes sure they're wet and then placed them on the twin's forehead.

"What's that for?" Eiji and Kenji asked simultaneously.

"It's to cool you down," Sendoh explained.

The twins lie down quietly for a while.

"Papa," suddenly the young Rukawa tugged on his sleeve.

"Yes, Eiji?"

"I want to go to the toilet," Eiji said softly.

"Okay," Sendoh carried Eiji out of his bed and into the bathroom. He pulled Eiji's pants down and let him do his stuff. When the boy was done, Sendoh carried him back into his bed. He wet the towel and then placed it on his forehead again.

"Papa," this time the other one tugged on Sendoh's sleeve.

"What, Kenji?" Sendoh asked kindly.

"I'm thirsty."

"Wait, I'll get water for you," and Sendoh walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water for him. He then returned to the room.

"Papa, I want water too," Eiji pleaded.

After giving the glass to Kenji, Sendoh again went into the kitchen to get another glass. These two are definitely slave drivers. They're so demanding.

"I want to go to the toilet," Kenji said softly after drinking.

Sendoh carried Kenji into the bathroom and let him do his stuff. After that, he carried Kenji back into his bed and placed the wet towel on his forehead. Eiji felt so restless lying so still on the bed. Usually, the twins couldn't stop moving.

"I'm so bored, papa. Can I watch TV?" Eiji asked.

"No, you're supposed to rest."

"But I don't wanna stay in bed the whole day!"

"I wanna watch TV too!" Kenji joined in with his twin.

They repeated the word "TV! TV!" until Sendoh gave up. He sighed in defeat. He then turned on the television in the bedroom for the twins. While watching their favourite cartoon, the boys kept sneezing and coughing.

"Papa, my throat hurts," Kenji complained.

"My nose is so itchy, papa," Eiji complained.

At that time, Sendoh was begging for help. Luckily for him, God heard his prayers and the doorbell rang.

'It must be Koshino,' Sendoh thought. He went out to open the door for him.

"Where are my favourite twins?" Koshino shouted as he slammed the door open, missing Sendoh by an inch.

"Koshino."

"Eiji! Kenji! Don't worry, Uncle Koshino is here to save you!" Koshino didn't even realize Sendoh was there. He entered the house as if he owned it.

"Koshino."

"Eh, Sendoh. What are you doing behind the door? Where are the twins?" Koshino asked.

"In the bedroom."

And Koshino was out of sight. Sendoh was amazed at his best friend's speed. If he could run that fast in court, they would have better results in a game. He followed Koshino back into the bedroom.

"Uncle Koshino!" the twins exclaimed when they saw their favourite uncle but ended up coughing worse.

"Oh my poor darlings," Koshino hugged them one-by-one. 'He sounds so dramatic. Must be influence those chick-flicks that he likes to watch', Sendoh thought.

"Sendoh! The twins need to rest and you're letting them watch TV!" Koshino scolded him when he saw the television was on.

Sendoh was surprised, "They wanted to watch it!"

Koshino choose to ignore him and turned to the twins instead, "Look what Uncle Koshino bought for you. Medicine and…"

"Pocky!" Eiji and Kenji smiled when they saw the tempting box of strawberry pocky.

"Koshino! Kaede will kill me if he sees another box of pocky in the house," Sendoh said while thinking 'I'm doomed'.

"It's okay," Koshino assured him. "I'll explain to him."

'What's there to explain?' Sendoh wondered and then sighed, "Fine. Give me the medicine."

Koshino passed the bag of medicine to Sendoh.

"Can we eat pocky first, papa?" Kenji asked.

"Then we promise to eat the medicine," Eiji continued.

"No. Medicine first," Sendoh said firmly, taking the medicine out of the plastic bag.

"But…" the twins started to complain.

"Sendoh, just let them eat pocky first," Koshino said, siding with the twins.

Sendoh glared at him which made Koshino shut up immediately. Since when did Sendoh Akira knows how to glare? Must be influence from Rukawa.

"Ah, I'll get water for them to swallow their medicine," Koshino said and went into the kitchen.

He returned with two cups of water and handed them to Sendoh. Sendoh pour the medicine in the spoon and decided to feed Kenji first since he's easier to handle compared to Eiji. But that turned out to be wrong.

"Open wide, Kenji," Sendoh said, putting the spoon in front of his mouth. Kenji stared at the dark brownish medicine in disgust. He refused to open his mouth. Kenji looked up at Sendoh with his big sad puppy dog eyes and shook his head vigorously.

"What's wrong?" Sendoh asked.

"It smells weird."

"It's medicine."

"I don't wanna eat it," Kenji decided.

"Kenji, please."

Kenji eyed the liquid for a while. He shook his head again.

"If you don't eat this, you can't eat pocky."

Kenji seemed to think for a while. He's weighing the pocky and medicine in his mind. Finally, he nodded. Sendoh smiled and fed him. Kenji closed his eyes tightly as he welcomed the bitter taste in his mouth. After a few seconds, the liquid is splattered on his blanket and Sendoh's T-shirt. He had vomited the medicine. Koshino was watching everything and trying hard not to laugh.

"I'm not eating that again!" Kenji shouted, pointing at the medicine then sneezed.

Sendoh looked at his shirt for a while then shrugged it off. 'Fine!' he thought. He ignored the cough syrup on his shirt.

"Okay, Eiji. Your turn," Sendoh gave up on Kenji and turned to Eiji.

Eiji looked scared, "Papa, I'm feeling fine now. I don't need to eat *cough*."

"Of course you do. Come on, open wide."

And Eiji cried as loud as he can between coughs.

"I want father!" the two boys screamed simultaneously.

Both Sendoh and Koshino covered their ears. They can sure scream loud even with their hoarse voice.

"Sendoh, shut them up! I'm going to be deaf!" Koshino shouted but was mostly drowned by the boys' cries.

"Okay, okay! No more medicine!" Sendoh too shouted.

The twins immediately kept quiet, tears visible in their blue eyes. They sniffed and coughed at the same time. Sendoh sighed. So, how is he going to do this? Should he wait for Rukawa to come home? But that'll be too late. He'll just have to improvise.

"Hey, Koshino," he pulled Koshino out of the room.

The twins stared at their dad suspiciously. Sendoh closed the door so that the twins couldn't see and hear him.

"I'm going to force the liquid down. You have to help me hold them," Sendoh told him.

"But that's really harsh!" Koshino said.

"I have no choice. If not, it'll take forever to feed them."

Koshino thought for a while, "Okay but do it gently. My heart hurts when I see them hurt."

Sendoh raised his eyebrow. Has Koshino been watching too many romance movies these few days? While the adults are outside strategizing, the twins are inside doing their own discussion.

"I bet papa is going to use force to feed us," Kenji said.

"He's so cruel, doesn't he love us anymore? I wish father is here," Eiji cried.

"Somehow, we must not eat the medicine."

"Okay, he only can feed us one at a time. So, when he's feeding you, I'll distract him."

"And when he's feeding you, I'll do the same."

Outside.

"I know the boys. They'll surely help each other in this situation. So, the best thing to do is ignore one when we're feeding the other one," Sendoh said.

"Are you sure this'll work?"

"Of course! All you have to do is hold Kenji tightly and ignore Eiji," Sendoh smiled confidently.

"But what if I hurt Kenji?"

"Koshino, don't even think of letting go! I have to finish this before Kaede comes back!"

Inside.

"But Uncle Koshino will surely help him," Eiji said.

"Don't worry, Uncle Koshino is on our side. We just have to make a sad face and cry, he'll let us go immediately!"

"Then, I'll jump on papa and then he'll spill the medicine. At that split second, we run into father's study room and lock it!"

"Great plan!"

Outside.

"We have to lock the door. I know the twins will run for it."

"Hey, Sendoh. Since when you become such an expert?" Koshino asked.

"Since the boys were born," Sendoh answered.

Finally, the two adults walked into the room. Sendoh signaled Koshino to lock the door. The twins were getting ready with their own escape. Unfortunately, they didn't see Koshino lock the door.

"So, are you two ready?" Sendoh asked.

The twins nodded confidently.

Eiji and Kenji VS. Sendoh and Koshino – Start!

Koshino grabbed Kenji and Eiji from behind. He held Kenji in his left arm and Eiji in his right. The twins didn't expect this and was shocked. They struggled to get free but Koshino is much stronger than them.

"You think you can outsmart me, I know one of you will save the other," Sendoh said, holding two spoons of medicine.

"That's not fair, papa!" the boys shouted.

"Now, eat your medicine!" and Sendoh force-feed them simultaneously.

Loud cries were heard in the Rukawa-Sendoh household.

* * *

"Okay, guys. Five minutes break!" Rukawa told his players. It has been a tiring practice for them. Rukawa immediately grabbed his cell phone and dialed home.

"Hello?" an unfamiliar voice answered him.

"Koshino?" Rukawa asked.

"Ah, Rukawa. Haven't seen you for a long time. How are you?" Koshino replied.

"I'm fine… Uh, where's Akira?" Rukawa asked, wondering what Koshino is doing in his house.

There were shouts of "I hate you, papa!" and "I'm telling father!" at the background together with loud coughing and sneezing sounds. Crashes and bumps were heard too.

Rukawa sweatdropped, 'What are they doing?'

"He's trying to put the twins to sleep. They just ate their medicine. You should have seen Sendoh's face, he was going to burst!"

"Uh, Koshino. Can I speak to Akira please?" Rukawa asked, slowly losing his patience.

"Sure. Hold on, I'll call him," Koshino said.

Rukawa waited for Sendoh to answer the phone. He heard spoons and cups dropping in the background. Then suddenly silence.

Finally, after a few minutes, Sendoh's muffled voice was heard, "Kaede?"

"Akira, how are the boys?" Rukawa asked, worriedly.

"They're getting better. They just fell asleep," Sendoh explained. He was panting, "I'm so tired. I didn't know feeding them medicine would be a tough job. When are you coming back?"

"Soon. What is Koshino doing there?"

"Oh, Koshino bought the antibiotics for them since I can't leave the house."

"Is that so."

Then, he heard Sendoh coughing at the other side of the line.

"Akira, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sendoh assured him. "Just come home soon, okay?"

"I know. See you later."

Rukawa's still worried about the twins. He wanted to let the team off early today but their practice match is coming and he needs to be there. He only can wish for the time to pass faster.

* * *

"I'm home," Rukawa said when he reached home. He rushed home as quickly as he can since he knows the twins are not well. What if they need him? What if Sendoh can't handle them? The crashing sounds he heard on the phone scared him. Rukawa quickly unlocked the door and saw the twins watching television in the living room.

"Welcome home, father!" the pair of twins skipped happily to the door and greeted their father.

"Kenji! Eiji!" Rukawa hugged them tightly. "I thought you boys are in bed. How are you feeling?" Rukawa placed his hands on his sons' forehead.

"We're not sick anymore!" the twins exclaimed. Kids have very fast recovering ability.

"Really? That's good to hear," Rukawa felt relieved seeing them in their normal state again. He was so heart broken when he saw his twins lying on their bed with the 'dying' look on their face for the last couple of days.

"Where's papa and Uncle Koshino?" Rukawa asked. He didn't see them anywhere.

"Uncle Koshino went home two hours ago. Papa's in the bedroom," Kenji said. "He looks weird."

Rukawa was puzzled at Kenji's words. He walked towards the bedroom followed by the twins.

"Akira, what happened to you?" Rukawa asked as soon as he saw Sendoh lying on the bed.

"Kaede, welcome home," Sendoh's voice was weak and he was sneezing.

Immediately, Rukawa rushed to his side and check his temperature.

"Akira, you're having a fever."

"Yeah, together with cough and flu. The twins pass it to me," Sendoh answered, looking at the now healthy boys.

"And I thought you couldn't catch cold," Rukawa gave him a rare smile.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Sendoh pretended to be hurt.

The twins only smiled innocently while Rukawa chuckled. He wanted to kiss Sendoh when the twins pulled him back.

"No, father! You can't kiss papa, or you'll be sick too!" Kenji said.

"That's right!" Eiji agreed. "You wouldn't want to eat the yucky medicine!"

Rukawa and Sendoh stared at them, dumfounded.

"Don't worry, papa. We're going to do exactly what you did to us today!" Eiji smiled.

He took the cold towel from the side table and placed it on Sendoh's forehead while Kenji readied his medicine. Rukawa smiled at his sons' thoughtfulness.

"Come, let us take care of papa," Rukawa said, taking the spoon from Kenji and feed Sendoh.

Sendoh only smiled as he swallowed the cough syrup. 'I would want to be sick all the time if they can take care of me like this,' he thought.

Meanwhile, in the twins mind, 'Revenge will be so sweet!'

-End-


	5. Chap 5: Trip to Kyoto

Hey, everyone! I'm back with a new chapter! Sorry for the delay. This chapter is dedicated to Jam since she requested it (you wanted a chapter with all 4 of them, right?). And to Addicted to SD, sorry but I don't think I'll be writing the revenge. I'll compensate that with this chapter. To my other reviewers, thank you so much for your wonderful words.

Okay, I don't know where is Sendoh's hometown but let's assume he comes from Kyoto. Why Kyoto? Because I love Kyoto! (Yeah I know, lame answer). Please forgive me if I got any of the Kyoto facts wrong (though I kinda doubt it since I did research about tourist spots… Just incase).

Summary: It's summer holiday and Sendoh wants to introduce the twins to their grandfather and grandmother much to Rukawa's annoyance.

Disclaimer: Rukawa and Sendoh belong to Inoue Takehiko. Kenji and Eiji as usual belong to me.

-Start-

**Chapter 5: Trip to Kyoto**

Sendoh is very happy today. Well he's generally cheerful everyday but today he's extra happy. Finally, after so many years, he can see his parents again. He missed them so much. The last time they met was seven years ago, when he told them he wanted to marry Rukawa. The raven-haired man however is not very pleased at the idea of going back to Kyoto. He remembered their first meeting and Sendoh's parents didn't really accept him as a son-in-law. They kept giving him odd looks, which made Rukawa feel awkward every time they converse. Rukawa tried to persuade his husband not to visit them but Sendoh insisted, and the twins even supported him for once.

"I wanna see grandfather and grandmother!" Kenji had said.

"Me too! Plus, we've never been to Kyoto," Eiji said, agreeing with his twin.

Not willing to hear the twins cry, Rukawa gave in and now he's sitting in the passenger seat listening to the twins and Sendoh singing. He noted that Sendoh's singing improved a lot. Rukawa remembered at one time, Sendoh was so into singing. He even wanted to sign up for singing class but Rukawa threatened him that if he did, he'll be sleeping on the couch for a month. Later, Rukawa found out that the twins had criticized his singing. He confronted them about it.

"Papa sings even worse than frogs!" Kenji had said.

"He can't sing no matter what!" Eiji added.

Sometimes, the twins can be cruel with their words. No wonder Sendoh was so upset about not being able to sing. He secretly practice singing with the karaoke every night. It drives Rukawa crazy but fortunately Sendoh sings very well now so there's no more singing practice at night (he can finally sleep in peace).

"Papa! Are grandma and grandpa kind?" Eiji asked after their one hour of non-stop singing.

"Of course they are. You'll love them and I bet they'll love you too," Sendoh answered happily.

"I can't wait to reach Kyoto!" Kenji exclaimed.

Rukawa sighed, silently listening to their conversation. The twins are really excited, just like the time when they sat on the bullet train. This time, Sendoh decided to drive to Kyoto unlike last time where they took a plane. He thought this would be a good vacation and experience for the boys. Poor Rukawa, he's starting to get a headache. He just can't stand long trips. However deep inside him, he's glad to have this trip with his beloved family. Maybe this could be a new experience for him.

"Kaede, are you alright? You're not looking so good," Sendoh asked, concerned. He noticed Rukawa didn't say a word since they left home.

"I'm fine," Rukawa stated calmly. He's trying his best to stand the pain in his head.

"Father, have you been to Kyoto?" Kenji asked.

"Yes."

"It must be nice!" Eiji chirped in.

Not wanting to hurt them, Rukawa nodded. It's not that he doesn't like Kyoto, he just prefers Kanagawa. After all, he was born and raised there. Then, the twins started singing another song.

"Father, sing with us!" Eiji exclaimed.

Unlike someone, Rukawa is capable of singing. And so, the four of them sang together until suddenly Kenji bursts out, "I wanna go toilet!"

"Can you hold on for a bit? Our next stop is ten minutes away," Sendoh told him.

"What? But papa, I can't hold it anymore!" Kenji whined.

"Why didn't you go to the bathroom at our previous stop?" Eiji said.

"Because I didn't feel like it at that time!" Kenji explained. "Papa! You don't want your car to smell, do you?"

"Don't you dare pee in my car!" Sendoh said, worried about his beloved car.

"Akira. Pull over," Rukawa said calmly.

"NO WAY! I don't wanna do it in the grass!" Kenji complained.

"You have no choice. Do you really want to pee in the car?" Rukawa asked them.

"No, please don't do that!" Sendoh begged and Eiji only laughed at it.

"Akira, look at the road," Rukawa scolded him then turned to the elder twin. "Kenji, make your choice."

Kenji was silent for a while. He started pouting. Sendoh looked at him through the front mirror. Finally, Kenji gave in.

"Okay," he said quietly.

"Good. Akira, pull over," Rukawa sighed in relief.

Sendoh parked the car at the side of the road. Rukawa took Kenji out of the car to do his business. Eiji stayed in the car with his dad.

"Kenji, where are you going? Here is fine!" Rukawa shouted at his son when he didn't stop walking.

"No, I don't want anyone to see me. It's so embarrassing!"

"It's okay. I'll cover you," Rukawa said.

"Father, are you sure there aren't anyone around?" Kenji asked, looking around in embarrassment.

"Yes. Now hurry up."

Back at the car.

"I don't see them," Eiji said, looking out the window.

"Kenji must have pulled your father deep into the bushes."

Eiji grinned evilly, "Hehehe. Now I have a black mail material."

"What?" Sendoh looked at his son.

"Kenji's always picking on me since he thinks he's smarter than me. I'll show him!"

Sendoh never saw this side of the twins before. They looked like an angel in front of them especially Rukawa. After a few minutes, Kenji and Rukawa walked back into the car. Kenji looked relieve now.

"Okay, let's go!" he announced happily.

And so, their journey continues. Nothing much happened on the rest of the way because Kenji and Eiji fell asleep after singing for about 100 songs. Rukawa was thankful for the peace and quiet. However, he can't sleep in case Sendoh decided to take a nap while driving. The peace and quiet didn't last that long because the twins woke up complaining about wanting to sleep in a bed.

"This chair is not comfortable. I can't sleep!" Kenji said.

"It's so hot. Papa, can't you turn the air-conditioner higher?"

Both Rukawa and Sendoh did their best to ignore them. They really can't keep quiet even for about a minute. Kenji and Eiji were really bored. They checked their watch every minute.

"Are we there yet?" Kenji asked.

"No," Sendoh answered.

"How much farther is it?" Eiji asked.

"Still a way," Rukawa answered.

"When will we arrive?" the two asked simultaneously, not aware that their parents are annoyed.

"Okay, I'm banning those questions. Just wait patiently," Rukawa looked behind and scolded the twins.

They kept quiet for a while until Eiji opened his mouth, "Will I still be seven years old when we reach there?"

Rukawa couldn't take it anymore and Sendoh chuckled at his son's question. After long hours of driving and more complaints from the twins, they finally reached Kyoto – Sendoh's hometown.

"This place changed so much, right Kaede?" Sendoh asked.

"It still looks the same to me last time we came here," Rukawa replied, not excited at all.

"Wow! Kyoto!" for the twins, every first time is exciting.

"Papa, can we stop for a while? I wanna see the shops!" Eiji exclaimed.

"We'll do that tomorrow. Right now, we'll go to grandmother and grandfather's house first," Sendoh explained.

"Father, look! The cherry blossoms are so pretty!" Kenji said.

Rukawa just smiled at his boy. Ever since the twins were born, Rukawa's smile grew more each day. He didn't want them to see his gloomy face all the time. So he filled Kenji and Eiji's life with smiles and laughter.

"We're here!" Sendoh announced happily.

Sendoh stopped the car in front of a really big traditional house. The boys gasped in awe. They rushed out of the car to see the new surroundings.

"Akira!" a feminine voice called out.

"Mother!" Sendoh greeted her and gave her a hug. "I miss you so much. Where's father?"

"He's inside."

"Mother," Rukawa greeted when she saw him.

"Oh, you're here too," her voice sounded quite disappointed. Then she turned back to Sendoh, smiling, "Anyway, where are your sons?"

"Kenji! Eiji! Come and meet your grandmother!" Sendoh shouted.

The twins raced each other towards Sendoh and his mother.

"Grandma!" they hugged her. She almost fell from the impact.

"So, you two are my grandsons. Let me look closely at your face," she said. When she got a clearer look at the twins, she was shocked.

"What's wrong, mother?" Sendoh asked.

"They look like Kaede," she looked at Rukawa then back at the twins.

Remember she doesn't like Rukawa. Rukawa muttered something under his breath.

"Grandma?" Kenji and Eiji looked confused.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm so glad to meet both of you," she smiled at them. "Let's go in to meet your grandfather."

The boys skipped along their grandmother into the house.

"Kaede, are you sure you're alright?" Sendoh asked his husband.

"Yeah. I've been though it once. Don't worry about me," Rukawa told him.

Sendoh smiled and kissed him. He's certain somehow this vacation will be fun. When Sendoh's father saw the twins, his reaction was same as his wife. Luckily the twins didn't notice the change of expression on their grandparents' face.

"I've got two rooms ready…" grandma said.

"It's okay, mother. The twins sleep with us. One room is enough," Sendoh replied.

"Well, okay then. You'll be sleeping in your old room."

Meanwhile, the twins are having a conversation with their grandfather at the living room.

"So, how old are you?" grandfather asked.

"Seven!" they answered enthusiastically.

"What is your favourite sport?"

"Basketball!" they smiled widely.

"Why am I not surprised?" he glanced at Rukawa.

Rukawa pretended he didn't notice. Just then, Sendoh and his mother entered the living room. Sendoh took a seat beside Rukawa.

"What do you boys want for dinner?" grandma asked.

"Sushi!" they said simultaneously.

So, they decided to eat outside that night. Sendoh drove them to his favourite sushi shop, which is owned by his uncle.

"Welcome," the waiters greeted them.

"Uncle Tatsuya!" Sendoh called out to the chef.

"Akira, is that you? You're grown so tall!" his uncle said, giving Sendoh a hug. He had to look up at Sendoh since he's quite short.

"I haven't seen you all in a long time," Tatsuya then gave his brother and sister-in-law a hug. Then he noticed two kids beside Sendoh. "And who might these cute little boys be?" he bend down so that he's at the same eye level as the twins.

"They're my sons," Sendoh said.

Eiji and Kenji were a bit shy and they hid behind Rukawa's legs.

"Haha, they are so cute! And you are…" Tatsuya turned to Rukawa.

"Rukawa Kaede. It's a pleasure to meet you," Rukawa bowed.

"My husband," Sendoh smiled proudly, putting a hand around his shoulder.

"Is that so?" Tatsuya rubbed his chin while 'examining' Rukawa. "I see your taste hasn't change much."

That remark earned a frown on Rukawa's face.

"Uncle Tatsuya!" Sendoh playfully punched him on the shoulder.

"Alright!" he turned his attention to the young boys. "I bet you're hungry. I'm going to prepare the best sushi for you boys to feast on."

"Yay!" the twins exclaimed.

After dinner, the twins were exhausted from the day. They went straight home.

"Can I sleep with them tonight?" grandmother asked.

"Mother, I don't think…" Sendoh started but was cut off by his father.

"We just want to spend more time with them. It's not like we get to see them everyday," grandfather said.

"Kenji and Eiji are not that easy to be put to sleep," Sendoh explained.

"It's okay. I can handle it. How difficult can it be?" grandmother said confidently.

* * *

"Grandma, what happens next?" Kenji asked.

"Nothing. The story already ended," she said.

"Then tell us another story!" Eiji added.

"But you already heard seven stories," grandfather said. "It's late. Let's go to sleep."

"We're not sleepy yet. Grandpa, please tell us another story!" Eiji pulled on his grandfather's sleeve.

"But I don't know anymore stories."

"I know, I know. Can I tell?" Eiji said. "Once upon a time…" he continued without even waiting for them to answer.

"No, I want to tell a story," Kenji said. "Grandma, do you want to hear mine? It's about a frog and…"

"I think that's enough stories for tonight, dear," grandmother said, feeling tired already.

"No more stories? Then, let's sing!" Eiji suggested.

"That's a great idea!"

"But I can't sing!" grandpa said. "Let's just sleep, okay?"

"Grandpa, I can teach you. I'm really good at singing!" Eiji said.

"I sing better than Eiji and papa!" Kenji said, trying to compete with his brother.

"We can sing tomorrow morning. It's late, we'll wake the neighbours," grandma tried to coax them.

"It's okay. We'll sing softly."

The twins began singing nursery rhymes softly complete with hand movement. Grandmother and grandfather have no choice but to listen to their grandsons. They wondered how Rukawa and Sendoh put them to sleep. In the other room, Sendoh was enjoying his peaceful moment. Rukawa on the other hand was listening to the twins singing.

"I think I should bring them back here," he said, worried about his parents-in-law. They are definitely not getting any sleep tonight.

"It's okay. Mother can handle it. Finally, a night when I can sleep without tucking them to bed," Sendoh smiled.

Rukawa was glad for this too but he's afraid the old couple couldn't take it.

"Come on, Kaede. We should enjoy this moment before they push the boys back to us," Sendoh grabbed his husband's hand and pinned him on the bed. "I haven't done this in a long time," he said and began kissing Rukawa's neck.

"A… Akira!"

Before he could proceed, the door slammed open. Both of them were shocked. Sendoh muttered something under his breath. He immediately got off of Rukawa.

"I can't stand it anymore!" grandfather shouted.

"I think you two will do a better job than us. Here you go," grandmother pushed the twins into their room and shut the door.

"Er… did we do something wrong?" the boys asked innocently.

Sendoh only chuckled while Rukawa sighed.

"Come on," Rukawa gestured them lie on the futon. "How many stories did grandma tell you?"

"Only seven. She doesn't know any more stories," Eiji said, sounding disappointed.

"Papa, don't you hear at least 11 stories a night when you were younger?" Kenji asked.

"No actually. Only both of you do," Sendoh said, kissing their foreheads. "Then let me start, one day…"

And so, the actual night routine of the Sendoh-Rukawa family began.

* * *

Sendoh woke up the earliest the next morning. Rukawa and the twins were still sleeping. After 11 stories and seven songs, the twins finally fell asleep. Sendoh washed up first before going into the kitchen.

"That's weird. Mother should be awake by now," he said to himself when he saw no one in the kitchen. 'I wonder if they couldn't sleep last night because of the twins,' Sendoh thought. 'We did talk until four in the morning.'

"Oh, Akira. You're awake."

"Morning, mother," Sendoh greeted her. He noticed she's still in her pajamas and there's black patch under her eyes.

"I overslept," she yawned. "I have to prepare breakfast."

"It's okay, mother. I can do it. Go back to sleep," Sendoh smiled.

"Seriously, I don't know how both of you can make them sleep every night."

Sendoh laughed, "We're used to it."

Grandmother couldn't go back to sleep so they prepared breakfast together. Soon, the twins were woken up by the smell of breakfast. They quickly ran into the kitchen to see what's cooking, before Rukawa could ask them to brush their teeth.

"Morning," Sendoh kissed their cheeks.

"Good Morning, grandma!" the twins greeted their grandmother. "Grandma, what's that?" Kenji pointed at the pot.

"It's boiled vegetables and grilled fish," grandma explained. "Haven't you eat it before?"

"No, usually it's just cereals for us," Eiji said, standing on the chair to get a better look.

"Akira, don't you cook them healthy breakfast in the morning?" grandma asked.

"Uh… Kaede and I are both working. So we don't have time to prepare this for them. Plus they don't like this kind of breakfast," Sendoh said.

"That's not true!" the twins said. "We never get to eat this!"

"Akira, you can't do that! They are both growing boys. You should give them enough nutrition," and grandmother started her long story about how she always kept Sendoh healthy. Sendoh tried to bear with her lecture. The twins however seemed very interested in traditional Japanese breakfast.

"Papa, how come you never let us eat Japanese breakfast?" Eiji asked.

"That's right. What if we got not enough nutrition? We can't play basketball!" Kenji supported his twin.

'Why, you two? I've been forcing you to eat Uozumi's food and now you said I never let you?' Sendoh thought.

After a while, grandfather and Rukawa entered the kitchen only to hear the twins bicker over the fish. Grandfather is starting to get a headache from all the noise. He's not used to the twins quarrelling even over the smallest thing like who gets to walk into the bathroom first.

"Oh no, I forgot to pack your toothbrushes," Rukawa said.

"It's okay, father. I can use this!" Eiji hold up Rukawa's toothbrush.

"That's mine… Kenji!" Rukawa saw that Kenji had already started brushing his teeth with Sendoh's toothbrush. He slapped his own forehead then decided to let them do what they want.

They spend the rest of the afternoon in Kamogawa, a river where Sendoh used to swim when he was younger. The twins were so filled with energy, they chased each other around the river. They happily jumped into the river and started splashing everywhere.

"Father, come swim with us!" Kenji said.

"It's okay. Have fun!" Rukawa replied.

He stayed on dry land with grandmother. Sendoh had joined them in the water and they are playing 'shark'. Grandfather stood at the riverbank, laughing at them. Rukawa looked so happy seeing his family like this.

"You really make a good parent," grandmother suddenly said.

Rukawa looked at her, surprised.

"I apologise for not treating you kindly before. It's just that I never thought Akira would be happy with a man," she explained, looking at the kids.

"I love him and the twins dearly. I'll never let them be sad," Rukawa said.

"I'm glad," she finally smiled at him after all these years.

After that, they had lunch prepared earlier by grandmother. By the end of the day, they twins were exhausted. They slept in the car all the way back to the house. They spend the rest of their holidays by going to the Heian shrine and the twin's favourite place – the zoo. Time passes by so fast for the twins, now it's time to return home. Eiji and Kenji are reluctant to go back to school since they had so much fun in Kyoto.

"Grandpa, grandma, can we come back again next year?" Kenji asked, hopefully.

Grandmother smiled at him, "Of course you can."

"Yay!" the twins cheered as they hugged their grandparents.

"Kaede, Akira. Both of you did a great job," grandpa told them.

Sendoh smiled while Kaede nodded. He's very proud of his boys. Then, they put their entire luggage in the car and are ready to go.

"I'll see you again, mother, father," Sendoh hugged his parents.

"Akira, you must visit us more often," grandma started crying.

"We will, mother," Rukawa said.

"Bye, grandma, grandpa!" the twins shouted from the car.

Grandfather and grandmother waved at them as Sendoh drove out of the house compound.

"I'm going to miss them so much," Kenji said.

"I can't wait for next year's summer holiday! Come, let's sing!" Eiji said happily.

Sendoh glanced at his husband. Rukawa was smiling as he watched the twins sing enthusiastically. Then he turned to Sendoh.

"Maybe going back to Kyoto is not so bad after all," Rukawa said.

"I'm glad you feel that way," Sendoh smiled.

And they sang throughout the whole journey home.

-End-


End file.
